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DOES APPLE CIDER VINEGAR HAVE AN EFFECT ON STREPTOCOCCUS BACTERIA?

Abstract

The increasing rate of antibiotic resistance has increased interest in natural antimicrobial alternatives. This study evaluated the potential antibacterial activity of apple cider vinegar (ACV) in comparison to traditional therapies by assessing its efficacy against the pathogen Streptococcus mutans and the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. It was hypothesized that apple cider vinegar would inhibit bacterial growth and could be used as a natural preventive measure or alternative to antibiotics. Using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on tryptic soy agar, bacterial susceptibility to ACV, 10% vinegar, 30% vinegar, and three antibiotics (penicillin, clindamycin, and azithromycin) was evaluated. Zones of inhibition were measured to assess antimicrobial activity. ACV produced moderate zones of inhibition for both bacterial species, indicating partial growth inhibition. While ACV demonstrated greater inhibitory effects than penicillin under these conditions, it was less effective than clindamycin, azithromycin, and higher-concentration vinegar solutions. These results indicate that ACV possesses measurable antimicrobial properties but is not sufficiently potent to replace conventional antibiotics, although it may have limited preventive or supplemental applications.

Acknowledgements

Piedmont University Natural Science Department

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